Another Little Miracle

Our sweet little boy, Benjamin Liam Martinsen, was born Friday, November 23 at 7:40 in the morning. He was 20 in. and weighed 8 1/2 pounds. He is a perfect, healthy, beautiful little boy and we already love him so much! 
    The labor and delivery was by far the easiest of our 3 babies. My water broke Friday morning at about 1:30, after which I called my neighbor to come over and sleep on our couch - he was ready to come! So she came over and we took off to the hospital. That's when my contractions started and they were hard and strong! The sad thing about having him the day after Thanksgiving was that I ate quite a lot and then on top of that, Rob and I finished off a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Needless to say, I was very nauseous and threw up several times. I asked for an epideral but the nurse said they had to monitor me for an hour before I could have one. After seeing the state I was in, the nurse received permission to give it to me sooner. Aahhhh, the sight of that man - he is my best friend. After that, it was smooth sailin'! We waited for a few hours, I pushed for about 10 minutes and he was here. He was born posterior, meaning his face was upwards when he came out, which is harder on them. So when he came out he had a large squishy lump on his head that looked quite alarming. Rob put it gently and said, "He looks like an ork!" All the nurses gave him a dirty look. It went away quickly though and now he looks like a human:)

We feel so very blessed to have our three little angels. Party of 5! We just bought a new minivan to fit us all in. Fun times! 

The girls were so excited to meet their little baby brother (and they also enjoyed the cookies and graham crackers on the table).

 

Jodi came and relieved our neighbor and stayed with the girls for the day. She also cleaned our whole house (I hired some cleaners to come but they never showed up and Jodi said, "Well, I can do that - you don't have to pay someone!). She's a super hero. The girls were ecstatic because she was taking them to her house in Logan for a couple of days while we were in the hospital. They loooove their cousins! Jodi, thank you, thank you, thank you!! You are amazing!

Ahhh, a little father son bonding time:) Rob is really thrilled about not being so outnumbered anymore. Those two are going to be great friends. There's also a bit of sleep deprivation in those eyes. Our first night home, Benjamin did not go to sleep until about 2:30, which we have now found is a pattern. We called the nursery because we had sent him there in the hospital for both nights so we could get some sleep. The nurse gave a little laugh and said, "Is your name Martinsen?" That's never a good sign. "Yeah, he didn't sleep at all, we pretty much had to hold and rock him all night." Okay, thanks for the heads up! So we've got a little night owl that will hopefully figure out the difference between night and day sometime soon:) 
The hardest thing is that now both Olivia and Brooky have stomach flu and have been throwing up all night. So Rob takes the shift with the girls and I get Benjamin shift. The girls wake up at 6:00 everyday (or earlier), so we've been watching a lot of movies first thing so Mom and Dad can get a bit more rest!
If you read our last post about Brooklyn, we're pretty sure she was anticipating a big change in the family which made her panicky and anxious. Everytime Rob or I left her to sleep she would cry Mommy, Daddy! and she would freak out. She was waking up at 4:30 every morning, wouldn't nap, she was basically a mess. Now that Ben is here, she is back to her normal, good sleeping habits (knock on wood). So interesting how kids can feel that there's going to be a change. We're so glad she's over it:)

This was a pre-stomach flu picture with Olivia, who has said over and over again, "Our baby brother is so cute!" She is going to be a great helper. She's been playing a lot with her babies, taking good care of them and now she has a real one! Brooky has also been especially interested in little babies. When we visit her cousin Camry, she loves to pat and kiss her head. I haven't got a picture with Brooky and Ben yet because at this point, she had stomach flu! So sad.

Grandma Monson with her 8th and newest grandson. What a sweetie pie!

This was the cute outfit that Megan and Jodi picked out for Ben to go home from the hospital in. So cute! Grandma Monson made most of the blankets Ben is using. Thanks Mom!!

Handsome little devil!

Our little football/guitar playing rock star. Welcome to our family little Benjamin. We love you!!

Our Sweet 2 Year Old

Our little Brooklyn is two years old!! She is such a sweetheart and is learning and growing so fast! Her latest little charade has been flinging herself from her crib. She wasn't just crawling out, she kind of threw herself out, crashing onto the floor. So Rob and I made a little bed on the floor for her and she slept very little that night. We were near despair, knowing that our baby was due any day and now our 2 year old was not sleeping at night or for naps. So we took the board out that the mattress sits on and set both crib mattresses (we have another one for the baby to come) on the floor of the crib. So now the railings were almost higher than her head. We high fived and figured our problems were solved. At nap time that day, I put her in the crib and closed the door. No more than 30 seconds later...Thump!! Yep, flung herself over somehow, no idea how she did it. We put Olivia in and she couldn't do it. It was then we discovered that we have a very strong willed child in the form of Brooklyn. When she sets her little mind to something, there's no stopping her. So alas, we turned the crib into a toddler bed and she has yet to complete a normal timed nap and she's waking up at 4:45, which wakes up Olivia, and we're ready to go for the day. AAAHHHHH!!! It's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute and sweet.

Brooky's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year. We started the day off with a big birthday breakfast downstairs on their new table. 

Grandma and Grandpa Martinsen gave Brooky some fun jewelry and glasses. She loved the little lip noise makers and all of the adorable books too.

Oh our two sweet little girls. Livvy was super excited for Brooky's birthday and tended to take over a few of her gifts (especially the little dolly she picked out for her).

For Brooklyn's birthday (and Thanksgiving dinner) Grandpa Monson took us to Chuckarama. We decorated the table and Brooky chowed down (mostly on the macaroni and cheese). The workers came and gave her a little cake and sang to her and it was almost a nonevent. She didn't look at them or smile or anything - it was as if they weren't there. It was pretty funny.

Grandma and Grandpa Monson gave her a stuffed broccoli (to go with the stuffed carrot and strawberry we already have). It was pretty cute and funny to watch her snuggle with it. Happy birthday Brooklyn, we love you so much and are so grateful you are part of our family!

                                

                                    

Ode to Anne

A while ago Jodi and I had a fantastic idea to have an Anne of Green Gables Party. We grew up watching that show on a very regular basis. I'm always reminded of our beautiful Canada when I watch it now. It was Dad's birthday weekend and the boys (including Kev, who flew up from Texas), surprised him with a weekend camping and fishing trip. So the girls drove out to Jodi's and we had a raspberry cordial drinking, Gilbert loving, plum pudding eating weekend. It was great! Here are some pics of our Anne celebration.

This was Jodi's raspberry cordial, very excellent I might add.
 

The plum pudding with the sauce (Jodi made sure it was covered so the mice wouldn't get in). Funny story, while we were eating it one of the kids said there was a dead mouse on the lawn. They all gathered around and sure enough, the cat had a dead mouse. It was kind of ironic timing.

Cheers!

The kids had a ball too. They really liked the plum pudding, it was sweeter than we thought it would be. For some reason, food cooked back then seems like it would be a bit bland, but it was quite delicious (a big fat scoop of ice cream didn't hurt it either).

Just sitting back, enjoying a classic. If you haven't seen it, it's time. Do it now.

What the...

This was pretty hilarious. It reminded me of what Rob used to do in Lehi with his friends. They would make a dummy and lay him down on the road on an old motorcycle, then wait in the bushes to watch peoples' reactions. Oh what we'll do for a laugh eh?

Be of Good Cheer

My heart is heavy as I think about the victims and their families of the recent Colorado shooting. After reading about it I felt fearful and just so sad. I loved what Marie, a devout Christian and survivor of the horrible scene, said in her blog. "God is always good, man is not. Don't get the two confused." There are so many wonderful things in the world - I need to focus on that. I remembered a very hopeful and inspiring talk by Elder Holland that he gave in conference in 1999. I hope it's as helpful to you as it was to me.

An Eternal Family

         It struck me that my blog says little about my faith, which is everything to me. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, otherwise known as Mormon. One of my core beliefs is that my family can be together forever. My relationship with Rob and my children will continue as it did here in this life. In our holy temples we are sealed by the priesthood authority of God as husband and wife, parents and children. The Savior gave his disciples this authority when he said, "And I shall give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven..." (Matthew 16:19). Those same keys to bind on earth have been restored by our Savior through the prophet Joseph Smith and are now held by our current prophet Thomas S. Monson and those who have been called. I am so grateful to know without any doubt that my family is forever.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We went to Grandma Martinsen's 86th birthday this year. Mom and Dad threw a huge party - tons of great food, as always, decorations, a family tree chart that everyone put their pictures on and wrote their names, etc. Lots of his Dad's family came to celebrate, so it was great to meet and catch up with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. It was really fun to hear stories about her childhood and to visit with Grandma. What an amazing lady!

Miraculous that Mom still had a voice after our visit. She read so many stories to Olivia - for nap/bedtime and in between. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, how many times Mom - 27? 34? You're a great sport!

Between cousins, the hose, swimming pool, and eating ice from the tub of sodas, Brooky kept herself very occupied, and very happy. Vigilance was required to keep her away from the tub after I observed Brutus (the 150 pound English Mastiff) drinking the water and washing his face in it.

Mom had a great time doing the granddaughters' hair all fancy and making them smell like cucumbers:)

The first thing Olivia says in most of her prayers is how thankful she is for her cousins. She just has the grandest time and gets so excited when she finds out she gets to play with them. I love this picture of her and Halle.

Liv still does the strained face smile when you say cheese - so cute and funny.

Still timid in the presence of such a large creature, standing in the background, yet wanting to be a part of bathing Brutus. Oh, what a dog!

Enjoying Mom and Dad's fancy expanded patio! We were a bit worried about how hot it would be in Arizona, but the weather was perfect. Rob had a great time bonding with cousins he hadn't seen forever. Fun trip to AZ as always!

The Days are Long but the Years are Short

 I've been reading a book called The Happiness Project, which I highly recommend. The author realized while sitting in a city bus, "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." So she dedicated a year to a happiness project. Her goal for April was Lighten Up: Parenthood. She told a story that made me cry (at 3 1/2 months pregnant it doesn't take much:)). Here it is:

A friend of mine told me that when his sons were five and three years old, they woke up at six every morning. On the weekends, week after week, he and his wife tried to persuade them to go back to sleep or to play quietly with no success. 

So finally he gave up. He'd let his wife stay in bed, and he'd get the boys dressed and out the door. He'd stop for coffee, then the three of them would head for the park, and he'd watch them play for an hour before they returned home for breakfast.

These days his boys sleep late on the weekends, and now, my friend told me, those mornings are some of his clearest and happiest memories of that period. The morning light, the quiet park, his little boys racing across the grass. 

The days are long, but the years are short.

I love it and it is so true. Some days seem to stretch out forever and the next thing I know a month has gone by. My babies are growing so fast. As hard as parenthood is at times, there is nothing sweeter than hearing the words, "I love you Mommy," and feeling those little arms around my neck and hearing the pitter patter of little feet running across the floor upstairs and the squeals of delight for the tiniest and most random things. Oh they are precious!

We went to the park today, so I thought I'd include my little muskrats.

All Things Brooky

I started this post quite a while ago, so there has been a lot of growth in our little wombat. 

It's high time for an update on Brooky and all of her developments. She has a very content, happy, and inquisitive nature and is more inclined to wonder, "What in the world is Uncle Tyson doing?" than to laugh at his crazy antics (our family picture). She really, really wanted to go up and down the stairs and after falling halfway down twice, she has mastered them.


Brooklyn loves to make a mess. Smearing, spreading, spilling, such great fun!

Her personality has really started to show itself, as you can see below. She makes all sorts of hilarious faces and loves to do it with her older sister. They get each other laughing so hard, it's so darn cute. I do have to say that she is a picky eater, much more than Olivia. The 2 veggies she will eat are cucumbers and green beans. Much of the time she takes a bite of dinner, then proceeds to spit it out and drop it on the floor. Stinker. She does have a few favorites: spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, shepherds pie, and of course, grilled cheese. 


Brooky loves the outdoors and often goes to the door and jibber jabbers something that means "take me outside now!" She is starting to talk. Her vocabulary is hi, bye, mama, dadda, gone (milk in her sippy cup), and no (Liv taught her that in a hurry).

                       
                        
 Brooky is also super musical. She is often humming little tunes and as soon as music comes on, she lights up. She doesn't do it as much as she used to, but she would start leading the music when she heard it, especially in church, just like the ward chorister. She loves to dance and one of her favorite things to watch is the Mormon Message "I am a Child of God." Oh what a cutie pie! I rock her at night and sing songs to her. She has started singing some songs with me (mostly she jabbers and gets the last word of each phrase really well - Twinkle Little Star, I am a Child of God, and I Love to See the Temple are the ones she's getting really good at. It's a precious time.


  Why is it so stinkin' cute when kids try on shoes way too big for them?

  

Just kickin' back a churro at Rob's Espanolandia (BYU activity). Brooky has gained a great love for snacks - crackers especially, and sugary foods. I was so diligent not letting Olivia have very many sweets, but it has been harder with my second. How do you say no when big sister is eating crap? I want to eat crap too!!

Fooling around with Dad's bike helmet. She is talking a lot more now (this post has really spanned a lot of time). When Rob comes home the garage door always goes up so he can put his bike away and she hears the sound. So now whenever she hears the garage door she says, "Daddy's home!" Brooky can now mimic almost anything we say and can say a lot of words. She does still often break out in absolute gibberish and it's pretty hilarious because she's so sincere in what she's saying. Oh we love our Brooky!

Still alive!

Okay, I'm still alive and am now ready to update my blog. Sadly, they have changed everything around so I've got to figure this all out again!! Does anyone know where to find posts we were working on but weren't actually posted? You used to be able to go to edit and they would all show up. Help! Hope you're all doing great!

The Big 3!

Olivia turned 3 on Feb 24th. The night before, while she was asleep, I set the table, put some presents by her plate, and put helium balloons all over the house. When she woke up, she was so excited and kept saying, "I'm 3 years old!" while practicing holding up 3 fingers. She was super pumped about her pancake with whip cream and strawberries until she opened her present from Grandma and Grandpa Martinsen. It was another doll with accessories to go with her dollhouse. Breakfast was over - she was totally focused.



Our next birthday event was a little party with some friends from the ward. I invited the kids and moms from our playgroup to come and play games and decorate cupcakes. We had a cake walk, a toy hunt (I bought a little toy for each friend that came and put their name on it, then hid it. They had to find their toy somewhere in the toy room. Then we had a treasure hunt. They ended up in the kitchen where the treasure was the cupcakes. They all seemed to have a great time, especially Olivia. She looooves people and is a little social butterfly (though I do admit, she was quite possessive of her new toys, and understandably so:)).



Our last activity was going to Grandma and Grandpa Monson's, which she was the most excited about. We had dinner and cake and ice cream and she opened more presents. I spent quite a while a few days ago in Toys R Us with Olivia (and Brooky) trying out tricycles. She liked them all of course and Brooky got quite attached to a dune buggy. Liv finally decided on the Minnie Mouse one with a billion little gadgets and gismos. It's super cute.


I love this picture of Livvy and Sophie. They have so much fun together.


Blowing out her candles on her very fancy cake. I do have to say this was dang good cake. I found it online, it's called "Too Much Chocolate Cake." It's so great I have to share the recipe.

1 box Devil's Food Chocolate Cake mix
1(5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together in a large bowl the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and water. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan (I always just use a regular cake pan). Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until the top is springy to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan before transferring onto a plate. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or I used cream cheese frosting. Ohhhh, this is the yummiest cake and quite addicting so beware.